Date: Friday, September 4, 2026
Kick-off: 20:00 BST (15:00 ET)
Venue: Portman Road, Ipswich
Referee: Darren England
Competition: Premier League, Matchday 3, 2026/27 season
TV: Sky Sports Main Event (UK), USA Network (USA)
Liverpool head to Suffolk for a Friday night trip to Portman Road, where newly promoted Ipswich Town will look to spring another surprise against one of the traditional heavyweights of English football, having already produced two of the highest-scoring games of the young season.
Table of Contents
Ipswich Town’s Start to the Season
Ipswich Town vs Liverpool, Ipswich, back in the Premier League under permanent head coach Gary O’Neil, who took charge in June 2026 after succeeding Kieran McKenna, opened their campaign with a 2–1 win at home to fellow promoted side Sunderland, with Emersonn Correia da Silva and Jack Clarke both on the scoresheet. That promising start was followed by a heavy 5–2 defeat away at Manchester United in Matchday 2. Across those two matches, Ipswich have scored four goals and conceded six — end-to-end, entertaining football that has produced ten goals in just two Premier League games since their return to the top flight.
Winger Abdul Fatawu has been one of Ipswich’s standout creative forces early on, while playmaker Julio Enciso has registered an assist in both of the club’s opening two league matches. O’Neil has a fully or largely fit squad to choose from: Jaden Philogene (ankle/foot) and Jack Taylor (knee) remain sidelined, and Azor Matusiwa (thigh) and Florentino Luis (calf/shin/heel) are described as doubts, but forward Emersonn has recovered from the knee injury that had been a concern and is expected to be available.
Liverpool’s Mixed Start Under Iraola
Liverpool enter this fixture under new head coach Andoni Iraola, who replaced Arne Slot over the summer following three seasons in charge at Bournemouth. It has been a mixed opening fortnight for Iraola in his new post: Liverpool drew 2–2 away at Newcastle United on the opening weekend, with Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai both on the scoresheet, before being held to an identical 2–2 scoreline at home to Nottingham Forest in Matchday 2. That leaves Liverpool with two points from six available, having scored four goals and conceded four — a defensive record that will be a point of focus for Iraola given his side’s underlying quality going forward.
Liverpool’s injury list is considerable heading into this trip: Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike, Joe Gomez, Jayden Danns and Giovanni Leoni are all out, while Federico Chiesa is a doubt with a lower-back issue. On a more positive note, £123 million deadline-day signing Bradley Barcola has trained with the squad and is available for selection, with a debut from the bench considered the most likely scenario given his limited recent match sharpness.
Head-to-Head Record
The most recent meeting between these two sides came on January 25, 2025, when Liverpool won 4–1 at Anfield. Before that, Liverpool won 2–0 at Portman Road on August 17, 2024. Across the last five meetings between the clubs, Liverpool have won three and drawn two, with Ipswich yet to record a win in that sequence, and Liverpool have conceded just once across their two most recent Premier League encounters with the Tractor Boys — a record that underlines the scale of the challenge facing O’Neil’s side on Friday night.
Predicted Line-ups
Ipswich Town (4-2-3-1): Scherpen; O’Shea, Diop, Greaves, Davis; Nunez, Lukic; Fatawu, Enciso, Maeda; Emersonn
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Wirtz, Munoz; Isak
Betting Odds and Match Probability
According to pre-match market data, Liverpool are firm favourites with an implied win probability of around 63%, with the draw priced at approximately 23% and an Ipswich win at around 20%. Given that both sides have found the net in every league match so far this season, and Liverpool have already conceded four goals in their first two games, both teams to score is considered a realistic betting angle by several outlets covering the fixture.
Prediction
Liverpool’s squad depth and attacking quality — with Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and record signing Alexander Isak all posing a threat in behind or in front of Ipswich’s back line — should ultimately prove decisive against a Tractor Boys side that has shown real attacking endeavour but also clear defensive vulnerabilities, having already conceded eleven goals in their first two Premier League matches combined with the Manchester United defeat. Liverpool’s own defensive record this season, however, means Ipswich should not be discounted from finding the net themselves, particularly on home turf where crowd backing at Portman Road has already played a part in one victory this season.
The most likely outcome is a Liverpool win in which Ipswich are competitive and score at least once, continuing the pattern of goal-filled matches that has characterised the opening weeks of this Premier League season. A share of the spoils cannot be ruled out entirely given Liverpool’s own defensive frailties so far, but Iraola’s side, freshened up by the potential involvement of new signing Bradley Barcola, will start this one as clear favourites to leave Suffolk with all three points and their first win of the new campaign.
Odds, injury updates and predicted line-ups are correct as of the time of writing and subject to change before kick-off.
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